Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-07
GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
FINAL STATE PAPER BIZ THE RE-
TIRING CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
Review of the Various Departments
and Some of the Industries of
the Commonwealth.

We present full synopsis of Governor Stone
mans message, which is very long all the
more salient features we have preserved, and all
the topics treated have reference in our syn
opsis.
The Governor says: Providence has been
bountiful TO the whole people, and it becomes
| their representatives to discharge their duties
with zeal and fidelity as the most acceptable
manifestation of gratitude.
In nv last biennial repOrtI drew attention to
the favorable reports regarding the receipts and
expenditures of the two fiscal years ending July
l. 1854, as cOntrasted with those ending July /,
1852, showing diminution OF expenditures dur
ing the former two years of neary million and
| a quarter dollars. thus reducing the State taxes
| for 1854 to the unprecedentedly low rate of 49,
| cents on the hundred dollars. similar favor
able showing cannot, Iregiet to say, be made in
a comparison between the receipts and eXpe1di-
lures OF the lasttwo fiscal years-the thiry-sixth
and thirty-seventh-wit those of the thirty
fourth and thirty-fi fifth the expenditures dur
ing the two fiscal years ending July l. 1885, eX-
eeeded the two preceding by 81, CD 59l a. neces-
stating increase of the State rate of taxation
| from 45 2 cents in 1884 TO 90 cents in 1885. He
claims however, that as due allowance must be
made for extraordinary appropriations made by
the last Legislature for instance, for Asylums
for Chronic Insane. $3.50 600; Adult Blind, $4,000
Predetermined Children, $4,000: Veterans
Home s2l 600, and for publication OF school
textbooks y the State, $4,000. and sums for
prison deficiencies. the excess OF expenditures
amounted 10 s574, l35 81, and the system permit
ting it is condemned.
The bonded Indebtedness of the State amounts
to s. 69S O00 and this should be paid or refunded.
The State Board of Examiners DESTROYS of in
creasing the interest bearing funds of the COM
mon schools have been very successful in pur-
chasing county bonds for this purpose within
the past two years, which now amount to $685.
900.
Concerning the railroad taxes, he says the
Controllers report gives full statement OF
facts upon the much agitated question, with
delails concerning the course and consequences
of measures taken to enforce their payment. 1t
contains also exhaustive tables of the amounts
assessed received, and delinquent during the
past six years. The Governor states that his eff
forts have been to bring the litigation TO an end
and conserve the rights of the stste, and refers
regretfully to the issue between himself and the
AttoTney-General rs an obstacle and hopes The
new administration may have better success in
the matter so affecting the revenue system.
He quotes these figures from the Controllers
report: Amount of taxes due by the Central
and Southern Pacific Railroads for 1880 1881
and 1882 S1029 SIS 81. Paid to Attorney Cen
eral Marshall, and by him to the State and
County TreasurerS, $40 i76 0S besides other set
for these years the sum of sil6, 252 2S according
to reports in the Controllers office. Total
amount paid i'll by the Attorney General, sos,
657 g. from which dedueting express charges,
the net amount paid into the treasury was $685.
273 y.
The Controllerreports that for 1888 the amount
t.0ellnNne0t upon the ABOVE system oil roads IS
SOD 25l 49, for 1854, S323, $50 49, for 1885, $780,
7tGS 81; for 1886 sss66i, 500 is.
The Governor states the inability of the State
Board Of Equalization TO secure proper reports
from and obedience by County Assessors, and
adds: Unless Assessors are controlled by the
State Board, the principle of equality will con
stantly be violated. II is true that CHI county
elects an Assessor but the State intrusts TO that
Assessor the duty of Yaluing property for State
taxation, for which the State literally compen-
safes each county. Yet the State is almost pow
erleSs, except by general increase ofvalue, to
remedy any wrong, and entirely so to prevent
an improper assessment, or to insist upon the
assessment of any species or class of property
There should be no trihing or juggling with the
law to suit the views of every assessor or Super
visor. Let the theory of the subsection of rev.
enue officials be crystallZed into distinct and
positive provision of the Codes
Concerning the irrigation question he re-
afhrms his former position taken in calling the
extra session. and claims that the failure of
that body was due to violation of their pledges
by members.
He recapitulates the history of the State
school text books, pronounces the work done
to be well done, warmly approves the work of
the Board OF Education, and points out the
economic value OF the new system to the PEG
pie of the State s1ying finally: The books in
hand and finished consist of Speller and First
Second and Third headers, embracing lbs
pages. The prices fixed for these by the State
Board of Education, are as follows: Spe.ler, 20
: cents; First Reader, 10 cents; Second Reader,
50 cents Third Reader, 10 cents. These figures
than one-hslf the previous cost"
The bulk of this work has fallen. of course,
on the three educational members of the Board.
1t was no portion of their official duties. 1t wss
a work of expertism outside such duties and
was placed on them by the people and the Legis-
lature without their consent. They have done
the work well, and should be properly compen-
stated for it. 1t is fair TO assume that such was
the expectation when the people made Com
mission OF those gentlemen to undertake this
work.
| II,
Office of the Secretary of State, and calls atteI-
ton to his report of reduced appropriations
made at the request of the Sec .etary, and to the
amount returned back to the Treasury after
paying all expenses of the Office. He adds:
a." 1t can be seen by his report, that in spite of
the fact that the demands have been necessarily
larger than ever before, the expenditures have
been small er than for any corresponding period
since 1889. aud overplus OF SIS $40 50 is turned
back into the State Treasury"
He says the report OF the Surveyor-General
indicates that his Office has been more nearly
self sustaining than during any past admins
tration.
During the last six years the amounts collected
and paid into the State Treasury progressed as
follows giving biennial amount OF collections .
50 296 S0 sl61Sl, $40, Zoo %. The cost TO the
State of the Surveyor Generafs office for the last
two fiscal years was S22,52t The Surveyor
General states that suits in foreclosure, insti
tuted because of the non-payment of the annual
interest due on Stale lands are extremely e1-
pensiye legal proceedings; and long experience
result in loss rather than benefit to the interest
of the state. Ii the lands OF value the delin-
quent Interest IS always paid, even though it
often amounts TO as much as the principal. On
the other hand, when the lands revert to the
State they are found to be fno value whatever
and the state suffers the loss Of the expense of
the suit in foreclosure. During the last eighteen
years the Registers have sent out the DELINQUENT
lists only seven times, though required to DO so
annually. He therefore c0ucutS with the ex-
pressed opinion OF his predecessor, that the law
| he Sfl mt IN fafrs~ sf,a
issuance OF delinquent lists oftener than once in
four years, else hX limit to the cost OF fore
closure so as not TO absorb all the money re-
eeiyed 10y the state. The law OF 1868 fixed a
limit 10 the amount payable in such suits but
the costs now demanded are generally much
greater than the amount collected by the state -
The Governor advises that notar1al terms be
made four years instead of two.
" For the last two fiscal years there were ex-
pended, for tue Orphan Asylums Si43.526 So:
Tor aged persons in INDECENT circumstances
S125 rs Sc; for the Veterans Home o 9i3 co;
aud for the Home for Predetermined Children,
SS7.l59 "A, making total for charitable insttu
tons of S62472l % -
The Legislature of 1856 levied only SIS 900
Tor the support of aged persons IN INDECENT cir
cumst2nces In consequence of a decision of
the Supreme Court in their favor. county hos
pitfalls maintaining aged and INDECENT persons
sent IN their claims against the State for such
maintenance, and hence the amount expended
increased 10 the above proportions. County
Hospitals are under the direct supervision of
the Boards OF Supervisors, and not under that
of the state officials; and If the State is made
liable for portion of the expense of maintain
ing these institutions it would in my Judgment,
be liable to abuse. Whilst county officials would
be watehful when the interests OF the taxpayers
of their county are concerned they would not
likely be so much so where the whole State had
10 bear the burden
The Home for Predetermined Children DrOm-
ises 10 fulfill all the expectations of its project
ors. The Board of Trustees should be en-
powered and authorized TO adopt q system
whereby the male and female inmates who are
capable and competent, can work on the farm
and cut work, negdiework etc, whereby they
can be enabled. from the proceeds, 70 add to
their support and maintenance whilst in the in
stitution and when in condition TO be dis
charged they can go forth in the world abe and
competent to take care of and support them
selves"
Concerning the prisons he says: There was
a deficiency in the appropriation for Folsom
Prison for the last fiscal year. ami the Directors
were authorized by the Board of Examiners to
borrow $4,000. A similar deficiency for the
present fiscal year must be met by special ap-
| preparation. Such financial shortages show the
necessity OF making appropriations for the en-
tire expenses OF the two prt-ons. As the amount
of earnings on the part of prisoners is an uncer-
tain quantity, they should be paid directly into
the stSte Treasury. Proper business methods
would suggest this course, besides being better
safeguard tor the State in the receipts and dis
bursements of moneys through officials"
Early in 1885, remonstrsnces reached me
from labor organizations all over the State
against the injurious effect of convict labor upon